Page 94 of
Print Edition The illuminating effect of the sun and fire

As metaphors for integrative meaning, the sun and fire represent not only the condemning, hurtful truth of integrative meaning, but also its illuminating truthfulness. Humans need to acknowledge the fundamental truth of integrative meaning if they want to illuminate the world, make it intelligible. As mentioned earlier, Plato said, ‘the Good [integrative meaning]…gives the objects of knowledge their truth and the mind the power of knowing…[just as] the sun…makes the things we see visible…The Good therefore may be said to be the source not only of the intelligibility of the objects of knowledge, but also of their existence and reality…[the point being that] objects [are] illuminated by daylight…[just as they are] by truth and reality’. Living in denial of the unbearably condemning ‘universal first principle’ and ‘absolute form of Good’ of integrative meaning saved humans from suicidally depressing criticism, but it meant they were in no position to think truthfully. All thought was coming off a dishonest, false, unreal base and was thus unsound in its inferences and conclusions. This was especially so when the truth they were denying was the most fundamental of all truths, the truth of integrative meaning. Instead of being able to illuminate, have insight into our world, humans were going about mentally blinkered.

While the heat and glare of the sun and the fire could ‘burn’ and ‘blind’ humans (ie the truth of integrative meaning could be unbearably condemning), the light they shed was needed to illuminate the world, make it intelligible.